HOLT’S HOPING HIS JET SOARS
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas bagged his first goals for Livingston as they blew away Airdrie to top their Betfred Cup group with four wins.
But they had to recover from an early blow as
Thomas Robert, son of former Newcastle star Laurent, netted a fine opener.
Two goals in as many minutes burst the Diamonds’ bubble with Alan Forrest scoring before winning a penalty that EmmanuelThomas fired home.
The striker then made it 3-1 and Forrest joined him in bagging a double as he sealed the victory.
Boss Gary Holt now hopes Emmanuel-Thomas can push on and fire his side up the table in the league.
“Goals are something a striker wants,” he said. “They want to come in and score regardless of who you are playing - whether here or in a public park.
“Jay is very confident in his ability. It is more a case of getting up to speed for the high-intensity stuff and ensuring he can go until the engine is empty – and then go again. He was making runs right until the end of the game which is exactly what we want – because there is no doubt about his ability.
“He’s a work in progress after being out for so long with no pre-season. We are doing the work in matches that we would normally do in pre-season. But these games have been brilliant for that and scoring two goals will only help.”
Airdrie gaffer Ian Murray grew frustrated as the game slipped away from his side and earned a ticking-off from referee David Munro.
Murray said: “Losing two goals in a minute completely turned the game around and I had no qualms about their penalty. But we should have had one at the other end.
“We were told we were given the advantage but can you get a better one than a kick from 12 yards against the keeper? It must have been a heck of an advantage.”